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RPM

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Everything posted by RPM

  1. RPM

    1BM.jpg

    That's very good to hear, I just liked the way it looked, but my wife gives me grief, she does not like it when I use stencils. Lol I've always liked this color / pattern and have a few more to finish over the holidays that I might add a twist to? ( small glitter, scales, etc. ) Thanks again
  2. Your welcome, and that's exciting and sounds like your onto the right track. It's pretty hard to describe the satisfaction level of achieving goals you set for yourself in lure building but this far into it, I'm starting to understand what some of the old timers were trying to tell us, now I even enjoy it more because I understand my lures and can alter them to do what I need / want them to. It's been mentioned many times here so elegantly, it really is a labor of love. Keep after it, keep us posted and ask anytime I'll certainly try to help if I can. Merry Christmas Rich
  3. Big Epp, I just posted a picture of a plug I'm proud of, not the color, finish but how it runs / perfoms. It's in the gallary, nothing fancy it's really all about the balance, building a straight consistant lure, finding the right lip / bib / bill whatever we call them today, and how it runs in the water. What makes this bait so special is how it runs. It will run with any speed reel, I've ran it on 8:1.1 to 5.1:1 reels, and have learned how it runs at almost any speed. I'm working on a super deep model very similar and hope to have it up and running come late spring when we fish alot of Ledges around here. Thanks again Rich
  4. RPM

    1BM.jpg

    Big Epp, here is a Medium Deep Diver I have been working on, this lure has all the characteristics I want in a crankbait and has proven very effective for our type of cranking. I hope this helps and best of luck.
  5. Big Epp, Thank you for the compliment, I much apprecite it. The best advice I can give is to find a design and work with it, I'm maybe differnt than others but I found I really liked Bomber Fat free shad BD plugs, I like the way they behave so I set out to mimic or perfect my lure to behave similar with some tweaks here and there. I wanted my plugs to run at a flatter or horizontal plane, not so nose down like alot of lures today. After I built hundreds and fine tuned them I decided that to me what makes a great medium deep to deep diver is it must have these traits. 1 it must cast good even in the wind, it must run parallel in the water and lastly it must run under the boat when reteived and it must float up. After many years of tuning I've been able to acheive what I'm looking for in a hand built bait, I can almost tell by simply handling / looking at the plug, and especially after seeing it sit in the water how it will react. I'm certainly no expert but after many years of building these baits I have a pretty good sense of how a lure will react. I've been criticized by stating deep diving plugs are the hardest lure to design / perfect, and in no way was I trying to dispell anyone elses thoughts, just stating what I've learned from my own experiences. I look at it this way, it's why we see so many guys building shallow diiving or square bill crankbaits today. they are simply easier to design / build. Not taking anything away from a good flat sided sqaurebill crankbait as they do catch alot of fish, and they are pprobably the most popular lures built sold today. It simply takes more work, effort, consistancy, etc to build & design a great running deep diver. My advice would be to choose a wood, be it Cedar, oak, pine polar, balsa, basswood, etc. stick with it as they all have thier own characteristics, also buy a big batch so it's from the same batch / lot if possible. Build 6-12 plugs however your system allows you to, take great notes, fine tune the lures until you find one that reacts to what your wanting, then perfect it and build more just like it as closely as possible. I've been building handcrafted lures since 2011 and can almost tell how the lure will perform just by how it builds. Some of my biggest mistakes were not listening to what the lure was telling me but asking for someone else to help and not listening to myself. Also I made the mistake of building alot of plugs out of differnt woods, from differnt batches and wandering why I was getting such differnt results. All woods have very differnt characteristics and need to be weighted differntly. A buddy of mine has won sevreal tournaments fishing my cull plugs as thats what I fish with myself because the more I learn how they react and run the better I become at building good running crankbaits. Sorry to ramble and I hope this makes sense and helps. Rich
  6. Big EPP, Looks good, Thanks for sharing, like I said I have a buddy that does awesome foil work and he swears by the candy foil.
  7. RPM

    Skipping jig

    rustedhook You want a Arky style head for a Skipping Jig, something with a broad flatter style head is what I've found best. Been using an Arky style head for many years and they work great.
  8. Who here in the US makes the best skipping bait mold? Something with a wide body, flat or semi flat like a rage craw. I'm looking for a couple new molds and want one that will be a good skipping bait? Thanks
  9. RPM

    Screw Eyes

    Not trying to start a debate just offering a few tips that were passed on to me. My neighbor used to build some Musky, Pike and a few saltwater plugs told me he always epoxied his hook hangers into hardwood dowel, then epoxies the dowels into his baits, he once said he never wanted the hanger or lure to fail before the line. We used his theory on some baits and if done this way the line is always the weakest link. I build bass baits so line for sure is the weak link and it doesn't take much to strengthen your line ties, belly weights and wood dowels in the tails never fail if good strong bonding epoxy is used. I've used my lures to pickup incredible amounts of weight before 20lb line failed, almost to the point of line, rod breaking before the bait.
  10. Big Epp a fish aquarium here is your friend, float test. I was going to suggest unpainted lure blanks similar so you can see the weight how its distributed, but with wood it's going to be slightly different. A suggestion would be spend lots of time tank testing, assemble and seal your lure, then use suspend strips and small dia. lead solder to wrap around hook hangers. With a wood lure you still might need a little tail weight to get it right.? Ive spent countless hours tank testing prototypes before ever lake testing or finishing a lure. Attitude in how a lure sits in the water will tell you alot. And good old fashing elbo grease if you will, but hey you probably know all of that, just a few thoughts that come to mind. Best of luck with that project.
  11. Thanks Dave, I appreciate it, as well as your help in the past / present / future. This particular lure is another Medium Diver, that should have a tight action, meduim rise that can be burned or slow rolled down to around 8-12' This lure is semi unique as it sits level in water and swims at a pretty flat parallel angle, I swam tested the first 4 today and got some really good results, next step is other gear ratio reels to find its max speed, but so far pretty impressed and reached bottom of test pond fairly easy and no way to reel it fast enough to get it to blow out or be unstable with a 5.3:1 reel.
  12. Update! Just started a new lure design / build, and wanted to let everyone in on whats involved in a shorthand version. I've been working on this lure / design for at least 8 mos. Gathering info, and information for my expectations. The insperation is from a friend, member here who has built thousands of lures and worked for a reputable lure company for many years. I have decided to add my own twist ( which is my forte ) LOL. I have a pattern / design and put it to lumber today, So heres where the rubber meets the road. I cut out 16 bodies, decided where I'll put the ballast and after tank testing and much studies on how much weight the lure will handle, figure out all the placement of the ballast, install and build each lure taking very good notes and pictures. Document everything along with thoughts / adjustments, build and seal each lure to prepare for testing. First is the tank test, then off to the pond for physical test, more notes, then attack the lure with my opinion, then after all results are gathered I will make subtle adjustments until the lure satisfies us. Sounds simple enough? this is not my first rodeo and I've gone through this process many times, but to come up with a working lure that is acceptable and will work in North Carolina and Southern Indiana or elsewhere, there is really no other choice. I have an idea of how this lure should perform and will not accept anything else. Guys that are thinking about building crankbaits should understand the reasoning behind all of this nonsense. I was actually going to wait till after Christmas to start this new project but with all the recent activity here it got me thinking there is no better time than the present, My neighbor 80+ years old and old tournament angler said today how many hours are you going to have in all of those? and why not just buy a proven lure? Good questions and my only response is I just love to tinker and buiild plugs, so yes it is a labor of love and certainly not for everyone but I guess I'm not preaching to the choir. This lure comes from an idea my buddy had almost 40 years ago, and after fishing with several legends in the Bass Fishing world he told me one of his regrets was not building a plug like this, so here goes. Wish me well. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Rich
  13. Just a short version of a lesson learned several years ago. I cannot convey or express in detail but I'm fairly sure the archives here at TU, can, so with the Holidays approaching I would suggest revisiting some of the old conversations about weighting and blanace of crankbiats, it's really facinating and will help anyone who seeks plug building knowledge. It took me quite a while but in short what I found was old timers talked about a balanced plug performing best, so when considering a medium diving crankbait there are many factor that play into this therory. It should be weighted properly, it should still rise or float, it should also dive and have the action your are seeking. So I set out on my journey, found a design / shape I like and started experimenting with balance. This is where it gets interesting! I built at least 50 plugs same shape, size, lip, only change was weight ( ballast ) how much and were I put it, I cannot convey everything it took me, well over a year and half but I was able to learn what it took for my lure to have the desired action I was looking for and it was an eye opening experience. I've since moved on to deeper diving lures, still experimenting and have learned the deeper the lure dives the more critical everything becomes, ballast, placement, action bill shape size, etc. Recently woking on a deep diver 12+ ft for a friend who wants a super slow riser that performs like an old lure no longer in productioon? let me tell you was I in for a challenge! WOW. but another member here once said to him, one of the most important features a crankbait can have is it must float. I've rememberd that and experienced why many times during my lure building journney. Best of luck, lure builders, and Merry Christmas, and happy new year. Rich
  14. fishordiie79 it's just another way to seal your bait. Some guys use epoxy where others are using another sealer. Mostly for Balsa from my experience as you have to seal balsa with something and epoxy is what guys are clear coating with so it makes sense. I used to use moisture cure urethane and would dip the unpainted baits 1-3 times, let them cure, then scuff, paint and redip 1-3 coats for my final clear coat. My guess is guys are using epoxy because it makes sense to use what you have instead of sealing with one thing then using epoxy as thier final clear coat. The only thing about epoxy is you have to be careful with ballast because epoxy weighs more than some other sealers and it adds weight to your lures especially if used for multiple coats so care must be taken for your final weight consideration. If your attempting to make a slow rise or suspending plug adding to much weight will alter the ability to rise and cause the lure to sink if to much epoxy is used, I've had lures weighted just right and used to much final clear coat causing an ill effect from my intentions ie ( e-tex ) adds quite a bit of weight if put on to hevily. A very succesful lure builder suggested e-tex used at cooled temps to add viscosity, I experimented with this and had some success but you have to be careful because it's hard to guage the amount of clear I brushed on each lure. The big bennefit to KBS, D Nites, and other MCU's is it can be dipped, goes on thinner and the weight added to your lure is much less than epoxy type clear coats. I hope that makes sense. Rich
  15. SlowFish, I'll jump in and add that I to have been wanting to do some foil this winter and talking to another plug builder buddy of mine he suggested I try Candy foil, it's very thin and I beleive others have foiled lures with it, the thing I'm intrigued with it was the color selections. I have been told it's not as cheap as some aluminum foils but the lures I have seen that were done with it turned out stunning. We fish quite a few tournaments on the Ohio River ( Dirty Water ) and there is a color called Sun Granny and done with this candy foil the ones I've seen are spectacular. I'll be doing some research and sourcing, if I come up with a viable supplier I'll pass it along and would appreciate it if you would as well. Best of luck, Happy Holidays. Rich
  16. RPM

    20201103_075509.jpg

    Mark, not sure who Bob is, but thank bh you for the kind words I appreciate it Rich
  17. JD_mudbug very cool baits from the 80's Thanks for sharing, thsoe baits look printed to me? or are they actually paint? azsouth I have a question, you mentioned color being very important to you and small variances having a big impact? Have you ever thought about taking say (6-10) LC 1.5's and painting them all similar except for small subtle differnces enough to make them really differnt on each end of the lot, then fishing them in the same conditions to see just how much it truly makes? Maybe I'm thinking to much into it but I've seen a few times we have had say a craw pattern orange belly and red top 50/50 lure with craw pattern in black, then a red belly orange or red top with black craw pattern make a difference on how the fish bite? but never really tried a large group of lures all painted similar but enough to make them stand apart? Just a thought and I may be thinking to much into it, like I said the local crankbait guru here seems to think it's more about contrast / light reflection that draws bites in tough conditions. P.S I'm not talking about when the bite is really good and the Bass are eating, just thinking about this time of year when it gets tougher. Great input guys. Thank you
  18. I Agree, and appreciate everyone joing in. I really wish I was a better crankbait fisherman, I'm a Jig guy, all my tournament buddies know me as such, but I'm also known around here as the Balsa plug builder, it's a good thing I've got friends who are great crankbait fisherman and lord knows I've been outfished by them many times. I started my Plug Journey back in 2011 when I was beat handily by a guy fishing a crankbait, since then I've had a passion for understanding and building better crankbaits, I thought if I built them it would help me become a better crankbait fisherman and it has but I've learned to be very proficient with a crankbait you have to be dedicated, I have not but still have the passion and desire to become the best crankbait fisherman I can. I do fish alot of tournaments ( about 18 this year ) and at just about all of them you come to know the crankbait guys, it's really funny to me that some of these crankbait guru's have a system and some do not, they kinda fly by the seat of thier pants like the rest of us. I can assure everyone that this site has helped me become a better plug builder, and I'm very thankful for that. Now I just need to apply the cranking theroy's and myself to become as proficient as I can. It's tough for me to fish offshore out in the middle of the lake with nothing in sight, just open water. because I'm such a shallow water, target oriented guy who just loves to flip & pitch heavy cover, laydows, etc. LOL
  19. JD_mudbug, Thanks for the insight and I agree with all these statements posted. I hope more will engage as this is why I posted the question here. Thanks again I seem to go in cycles especially for myself but when it comes to other fisherman I guess it's so hard to guage the why's? In our talks last weekend at the lake another angler that is known as a local crankbait guy, said he thinks the subtle colors or faded patterns work best for him, which is another topic in itself. LOL He's been known to keep his favorite plugs hanging in his truck from the rear view mirror. But what I've seen mostly around here this year is guys are leaning more toward the subtle patterns, then keeping some of the exotic's just in case. The local plug guy said he thinks it comes down to contrasting colors, then action, then the right plug? I asked about his lure choices and it surprised me he likes to fish alot of lures that I call secondary brands. IE Lure Jensen, Poe's, Older Storm plugs, and even throws a few older Bagley's when the bite gets tough and still fishes the older mann's deep divers. Not alot of guys fishing the same plugs as this guy. While talking about colors, he said about the same thing as you, he thinks anglers get to caught up on pretty lures, which led us into talking about old beat up, fished hard lures? Which is anther topic as well but he had some plugs that looked like crap but said they still produce fish and he had no thoughts of replacing them. He said he had a few plugs in his boat that have produced thousands of bass and he still uses them about every weekend, he did say, he favors the older plugs because he thought they were simply better baits. I knew posting these questions might get alot of differnt answers but hey, thats why we all participate here in hopes of helping each other. Thanks again.
  20. azsouth, I can appreciate your comment but I have been painting and building custom handcrafted balsa crankbaits since 2012, believe me I've put my time in, but was asked at our final tournament why we ( custom builders / painters) use some of the colors, patterns which lead me to my question here. I do have proven baits, but this year it seems the guys using them were looking for something different, I'm normally not that guy as I like to build what I believe in. Not everyone thinks this way and it made me think about some of the tournament guys who use factory plugs. Here in the mid west, the SK baits are represented very well and guys do win with them, but in talking to these same guys they do believe in tweaking or altering the baits or having them custom painted. Since I build my own I've got away from painting other brands, but I'm always interested in the why guys are willing to pay big money for repaints, is it because they think the custom paint makes that much difference? If so they must think the colors / patterns are far better than the original. Thanks for your input.
  21. Sorry but sounds good I look forward to your reply.
  22. All, I've been tossing around an idea for some time but have yet to put pen to paper, for all the Custom Lure builders and Painters on here I have a few questions?. Is there a lure company you prefer thier colors / patterns over the others. At our last club tournament talking to a few competitors the question was brought up why or which color / pattern combinations I like to paint my baits? and it never really dawned on me why I chose one over the other. So a guy asked why is there so many sexy shad or versions of, colored baits here in our area and why do some guys prefer a certain craw color pattern over the next? I could not answer the question and said I will give it some thought. In doing so I've been energized to come up with an explanation other than it's personal choice. I prefer the simple ShAd pattern because it's easy to duplicate and it catches fish, the sexy shad color / pattern I seem to put my own spin on but it as well catches fish, and the craws Colors / Patterns seem to be all over the board? I personally like the Pre Rapala Luhr Jensen Craw colors / patterns, as far as Shad patterns go I like the Rapala. So I ask these simple questions, do you guys / gals here have a Lure company that you favor for thier pattern renditions or do you choose to paint your version for another reason. I have a buddy, Tournament guy that likes a certain Craw pattern he has been fishing for almost 20 years, it's like nothing else in production and he swears by it, based on my experience he likes it for the color / contrast and not really the pattern? but he can only say he likes it because its differnt and cathces lots of fish. I personally think theres better options but he has confidence in it and likes the fact no one else uses it? We also have a mutual fishing buddy who loves glitter on his crankbaits, he almost will not fish a plug without glitter or flake? he grew up fishing older lures the likes of the Big O and said since he was little the Plugs with Glitter / Flake catch more bass? Anyway I'm not trying to understand each case, just trying to see if there is something else besides personal prefernce in why we choose to build / paint our lures in certain ways. Is it more about the color combinations we choose, the patterns we use or simply a matter of what my close friend said, you must first catch the fisherman before you can catch the fish? Sorry to be long winded, but looking forward to everyones reply. Thanks Rich P.S Personal reflection, some of the prettiest baits I've ever seen did not catch anymore bass than some of the culls or ugly baits, I still have a few favorites but it's probably based on production more so than pretty? I tend to be more technical or thoughful and use what I think is the most realistic, but still get outfished by something exotic from time to time. Thanks for reading and the replies
  23. Thanks guys, he has been in contact with a few others that have fished this lake and they said anything Chartruese when the water dirty's up, which it might as they are predicting rain for the next few days, and a craw color thats a muted Orange / Brown, Bone belly ? said KVD fished a similar color pattern a few years ago on a Missouri lake? I'll have to look and see if it's a factory color or maybe something he had custom painted, or prototype. But thank you for the help.
  24. Whats your favorite colors / patterns for Sqaure Bills fishing around Rip Rap and lay down timber? I have a buddy wanting some differnt colored plugs for an up coming fishing trip and the locals have been catching them along rip rap banks and the banks fishing larger laydowns. Looking to hear others favorite colors as I've seemed to lean toward shad colored / pattern plugs this year and not really sure how I would paint them, He is ok with whatever I come up with but hoping maybe a few others might have a suggestion or two. Thanks in advance
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